ORTHOPEDICS/SHOULDER & ELBOW/THERAPY & SURGERY
Frozen Shoulder/Arthroscopic Capsular Release
A Frozen shoulder called as well adhesive capsulitis is a painful disorder that causes patients difficulties even with simple shoulder mobility.
A frozen shoulder often results due to the shoulder capsule and the shoulder joint thick coating damaging.
A frozen shoulder Therapy is always successful with simple and non-surgical measures.
A shoulder surgery may be considered for a frozen shoulder if above simple nonsurgical measures fail to improve healing.
Frozen Shoulder Surgery
A frozen shoulder common surgical therapy is called an Arthroscopic Capsular Release.
When the problem of a frozen shoulder, is the tight shoulder capsule, the surgery would be to cut the tight capsule to allow the joint more freedom of mobility. Specific tools are inserted to cut away the capsule surrounding the shoulder socket.
Arthroscopic Release / Alternatives
Nonsurgical Therapy:
Most patients have tried nonsurgical therapy for their frozen shoulder before considering any aggressive measures.
Manipulation Under Anesthesia:
This thechnique is less performed actually since arthroscopic therapy became more common.
A manipulation under anesthesia (MUA) is a technique consisting essentially on passive stretching of the frozen shoulder while the patient is sleeping.
The advantage is getting a much better joint capsule stretching, but the complications are probable. Pain can occur after this process and if pushed forcefully, it is possible for bones to crack under intensive force.
An MUA is often performed after an arthroscopic capsular release.
Open Capsular Release:
An open capsular release is a much less commonly performed surgical process.
Similar to the arthroscopic technique, the shoulder capsule is divided, but by the surgeon here is looking straight inside the shoulder.
Arthroscopic surgery is considered better because it causes less pain, less aggressive and it allows more access to the shoulder joint.
Arthroscopic Capsular Release / Recovery
While arthroscopic capsular release is considered very helpful to gain shoulder mobility, as it helps sustaining the improvement in motion.
As mentioned, some surgeons particularly immobilize the shoulder, and recovery will start with immediate movement and therapy after surgery in an effort to sustaining improvements in shoulder motion.
A Final Word
All the surgery types used for frozen shoulder therapy are performed to ensure getting the shoulder moving as soon as possible, protecting any gains in mobility and preventing new spoiled tissue from forming in the shoulder joint again.